Fiesta Island TT Series #1
February 7, 2010 – San Diego, CA
Masters 30-39 – 10th – 32:18
Time trials for us Chicagoans in February usually mean riding a Computrainer like a hamster in the Winfield Middle School. While it may not be "fun", it helps break up the winter training doldrums. Those folks who are lucky enough to live in "warm" climates like SoCal, Arizona, etc. actually have a winter racing season. Well, I didn't want to miss out on their fun, so I took the opportunity to get in an early season OUTDOOR TT in San Diego today.
The main TT course in San Diego is Fiesta Island. It's a completely flat "sand dune" next to Seaworld. The San Diego Bicycle Club (SDBC) sponsors a season long TT series on the island that runs from February to October. It's a 4 mile loop with sweeping turns and nary a hill. Three loops for 20K. The course is completely closed to traffic. The only downside is that races are EARLY. Riders need to register between 6 AM or 6:45 AM or they forgo their time slot.
I got there at 6:15 AM and it was still dark. The parking lot was full and I was cursing that I didn't have a flashlight. This was apparent when I showed up to the registration table with my license and race flyer rather than my signed waiver (which was still in my trunk). Plus, I got tons of odd looks because I was wearing shorts and it was "only" in the mid 50s. Oh, well. I had plenty of time to warm-up and was happy to have brought my Knog Frogs since the sun was just creeping up. I prerode the course and soon had a bike covered with sand ( from the 2" of rain the day before). I also ended up getting a flat tire on my way back to the car with about 10 minutes before my start. Thankfully, I brought a spare tube.
I had decided to race "Eddy Merckx" style (aka, non aero) since shipping my TT bike was pretty expensive for just one race. I was actually happy I did this, since I had never raced a TT without aero equipment. Plus, it was early season and I didn't want to throw off my expectations. Most of the other riders were on TT rigs, so I was knew I would get passed. However, passing someone else would feel really good.
There was a pretty strong 15-20 MPH headwind on the first part of the course, but made for a fun tailwind on the home stretch. I was amazed at how quickly this course went. I'm not sure if it was the short laps or curvy nature of the course. It was definitely the not the usual cornfield bores that we have in the Midwest. I paced myself fairly well throughout the race and felt much better than my legs were feeling. Biking 65 miles the day before didn't help my legs. Ugh. I'm glad it's only February...
I ended up finishing in 32:18 for 10th in the Masters 30-39 with an average speed of 23.1 MPH. For this time of year and my "old school" bike setup, I was very happy with my result. My power was about where I was at the peak of 2009. Another cool part of this race was not being the only XXXer! Greta Neimanas was in the area for early season training and showed up for the race. She posted the 2nd fastest women's time and won her age group. Wow...1800 miles from Chicago and we had more XXXers in a TT than we normally do within 50 miles of Chicago (HINT, HINT to the rest of the team).
I'm planning on coming back to San Diego in March for some more "spring training" and hope to get another TT in if I can. For anyone visiting the San Diego area, be sure to check out the Fiesta Island TT series. The SDBC puts on a first class operation. And, it's a guaranteed Fiesta!
I almost forgot to mention that this is an ABR race! Not only do they sanction the MATTS series in the Chicago area, but also the Fiesta Island TT series.